Throughout the entire existence of mankind, there always has been a system of social classes. This system has given structure to the world, as people have been able to come together to achieve a goal under the command of a number of individuals belonging to a higher class. Many times, this goal has been successfully accomplished thanks to the loyal obedience of the subordinates, but there also have been many cases where people deliberately disobeyed the orders because of moral conviction or drive for self-improvement. Although there is evidence for both outcomes, there still is not enough to create a theory about the general human species and the nature of obedience. All valid evidence of human nature in regard to obedience comes from historical situations in which people were asked to do things they might not agree with. Many psychologists argue that in more cases than not, people will do the acts as commanded, even if they do not agree with them. However, history shows many contradictions to that argument.

Every single American school has taught students the history of the United States of America—how America was discovered, what needed to be done to establish a sovereign government, and the defiance that established a nation. On April 18th, 1775, Massachusetts General Gage was ordered to cease any open rebellion by using whatever means necessary by the British Government. Gage followed his orders, supporting the common claim that people will always do what they are told by superiors. It was the actions of the others, however, that support the claim that people do have free will. The famous story of Paul Revere follows, in which he warns Sam Adams and John Hancock of the British plans. Adams and Hancock then started one of the largest and most defiant revolutions the world has ever seen. As nearly everyone knows, the outcome went in the favor of the rebellious colonists, and awarded the brave men, women, and children the freedom they had sought for centuries.

The Revolutionary War marked the beginning of the American sovereignty that is seen today. The men who fought in the war were not all trained soldiers, and were not bad men in any way. They did, however, directly disobey their government to seek a better life. They did so, not because they were criminals, but because they were tired of living their routine lives under the direct command of King George III. They risked everything they had, including their lives, in search for a better life for their families and generations to come.

The Declaration of Independence, which was written in 1776, laid the foundation for the rebellion, and in 1787, the ‘founding fathers’ created the US Constitution of the United States of America. The constitution defined the structure of the new nation, as well as the rights of its citizens. Though the revolution had awarded the majority of the nation with the freedom deserved, it would be centuries before Thomas Jefferson’s words from the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” would apply to all.

In 1790, one year after the official adoption of the US Constitution, an estimated 10% of the population was African-American slaves. The slaves were not viewed by the government, or anyone else, as people; they were merely property—bought, sold, and traded, similar to farm animals (although significantly cheaper in some cases). There were even laws in some states that demanded the state compensate slave owners for the slave’s value if they were convicted of a crime. The slavery continued until 1867, when President Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. The story of slavery, however, runs much deeper than that. Many slaves, as well as empathetic citizens, created the system known today as “the underground railroad.” The railroad helped assist many slaves in escaping to freedom. This was, at the time, a very serious crime in the south, and the punishments for being caught trying to escape could be quite severe. Many people did not mind the risk though; they were ready and willing to defy the laws set out to contain them, and seek their freedom as their owners had done decades before.

Many would assume the discrimination would end there, but the next century had shown the proclamation to be less of a success that originally planned. The misconception that African-Americans were inferior to white went well into the 20th century. There were segregation laws prohibiting blacks from many things that whites were allowed. In 1955, an African-American woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. This was against the law at the time, and because of it, Mrs. Parks was arrested. She would be known from that point forward as a civil rights hero. During that same time, a popular African-American minister, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., also joined the fight for equality. He urged many fellow African-Americans to disobey the laws that were holding them down, while at the same time promoting a respectable and non-violent attitude. Since the dawn of the United States, there have been great strides towards equality for all. This was largely in part, however, to the disobedience that took place when people fought for their rights.

American history contains a massive number of cases that were only revealed because of the disobedience that brave men and women used as their weapon to make a change. It is in this history that the point is made evident that people will not always maintain a submissive attitude to their superiors; they will do what is in the best interest for themselves, their families, and those similar to them. The foundation of the United States was built on disobedience, and it is the frequent and powerful deviance that has shaped this country into the model for nations worldwide.